Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process and a plant for building tyres for vehicle wheels. More specifically, the invention is particularly addressed to manufacture of crown structures, in particular in production contexts in which building of the tyre takes place by assembling elementary semifinished products such as rubberised textile or metallic cords, strip-like elements formed starting from a continuous ribbon-like element cut to size and comprising a plurality of textile or metallic cords disposes parallel and adjacent to each other, and/or continuous elongated elements of elastomeric material circumferentially wound into a plurality of mutually adjacent turns.
Description of the Related
A tyre for vehicle wheels generally comprises a carcass structure including at least one carcass ply having respectively opposite end flaps in engagement with respective annular anchoring structures, integrated into the regions usually identified as “beads”, defining the radially internal circumferential tyre edges.
Associated with the carcass structure is a belt structure comprising one or more belt layers, placed in radially superposed relationship relative to each other and to the carcass ply, provided with textile or metallic reinforcing cords having crossed orientation and/or substantially parallel to the circumferential extension direction of the tyre. Applied at a radially external position to the belt layers is a tread band, made of elastomeric material too, like other semifinished products constituting the tyre.
In addition, respective sidewalls of elastomeric material are applied at an axially external position to the side surfaces of the carcass structure, each extending from one of the side edges of the tread band until close to the respective annular anchoring structure to the beads. In tyres of the “tubeless” type, an airtight coating layer, usually referred to as “liner” covers the inner surfaces of the tyre.
To the aims of the present specification and the following claims, by “crown structure” of a tyre it is intended at least one belt structure having at least one belt layer or strip. More preferably, the crown structure comprises a belt structure having at least one belt layer or strip and a tread band.
In the specification and in the following claims the term “component” is understood as indicating any part of the tyre that is suitable to perform a function, or a portion thereof. Therefore, defined as components are for example the liner, underliner, abrasion-proof element, bead core, bead filler, carcass ply, belt strip, belt under-layer, tread under-layer, sidewall inserts, sidewalls, tread band, reinforcing inserts.
In the present specification and in the following claims the term “strip-like element” is understood as indicating an elongated element of elastomeric material of flattened shape and cut to size, including at least one, preferably at least two textile or metallic reinforcing cords that are parallel to each other and to the longitudinal axis of the elongated element itself.